No Brand Arabic Mijwiz Double Folk Clarinet - Natural Cane and Bamboo (heat treated and polished with its own oils) 1990s - Natural Cane and Bamboo (heat treated and polished with its own oils)

The mijwiz is an Arabic woodwind instrument found in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. 

It is a double single-reed folk clarinet made of bamboo and reed. The mouthpiece is made from reed and the body is from a type of small bamboo. 

The playing reed is cut directly from the mouthpiece, thus it is an integral part of the instrument and not a separate reed such as we find in western clarinets or saxophones. 

In the Western world we can find these kinds of reeds in the drone pipes of bagpipes.

This instrument has 6 holes on the double melody pipes, which play in unison, but are very slightly off pitch from each other, producing a very pleasing chorus sound.

The holes are tuned to an Arabic mode and are played by extending the finger and knuckle over the holes in order to close them simultaneously (see photo w/ hand!).

The tonal center is B. 

Circular breathing is traditionally used on this instrument, which gives it a sound somewhat reminiscent of a clarinet crossed with a bagpipe. This instrument is traditionally used as an accompaniment for belly dancing, and other types of Arabic musical performance.

The reeds must be moistened in the mouth or soaked for 2 minutes in a glass of warm water before playing. After playing for some minutes the sound and intonation will gradually improve. If you have trouble getting the reed to work, carefully use the blade of a small pocket knife to gently separate (not cut) the tongue of the reed from the mouth piece ever so slightly, being careful not to break it. Patience is the key. This instrument has been tested and it is in working order.

This instrument is 15” long with reeds attached and 13” long without the reeds.

Note: The holes on this instrument are roughly cut and there is some chipping around the edges. This adds to the rustic quality of the instrument and does not detract from the tonal production. It was born this way!